Huck Finn :: essays research papers

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn          The conflict between indian lodge and the individual is a truly importanttheme portrayed by dint ofout Mark Twains The Adventures of HuckleberryFinn. Many hatful see Huckleberry Finn as a mischievous boy who is a gravelyinfluence to others. Huck is not raised in agreement with the reliable waysof civilization. He practically raises himself, relying on instinct to guide himthrough life. As seen several times in the novel, Huck chooses to follow his congenital sense of right, yet he does not realize that his own instincts argon more thanright than those of society.          Society refuses to accept Huck as he is and isnt going to change itsopinions about him until he is reformed and civilized. The widow woman Douglasand knock off Watson try to "sivilize" Huck by making him stop all of his habits,such(prenominal) as smoking. They try to reverse all of his teachings from the first twelve days of his life and force him to become their stereotypical good boy. However, from the very send-off of the novel, Huck clearly states that hedoes not want to conform to society. "The Widow Douglas she took me forher son, and allowed she would sivilize me...I got into my old rags and mysugar hogshead again, and was free and satisfied." (page 1) Huck says thisshortly after he begins living with the Widow Douglas because it is rough forhim to be confined to a rear and the strict rules of the Widow Douglas.      Hucks father, a dirty and fraudulent drunk, was also a problem. Hewas so angry that his son could read, that he severely beat him and then pressure him to stay in a secluded cabin. Huck then devises a plan to escapeand heads land river were he teams up with Jim, a runaway slave.           The theme becomes even more evident once Huck and Jim set outdown the Mississippi . As they run from civilization and are on the river, theyponder the social injustices forced upon them when they are on land. Theriver never cares how saintly they are, how rich they are, or what societythinks of them. The river allows Huck the one thing that Huck wants to be,and that is Huck. Huck enjoys his adventures on the raft. He prefers thefreedom of the wilderness to the restriction of society.           Also, Hucks acceptance of Jim is a total insubordination of society. Societyautomatically sees a black person, and even further, slaves, as inferior. Theynever think of slaves as human beings, only as property.